Women of reproductive age living in resource-poor settings are at high risk of inadequate micronutrient intakes when diets lack diversity and are dominated by staple foods. Yet comparative information on diet quality is scarce and quantitative data on nutrient intakes is expensive and difficult to gather. We assessed the potential of simple indicators of dietary diversity, such as could be generated from large household surveys, to serve as proxy indicators of micronutrient adequacy for population-level assessment. We used 5 existing data sets (from Burkina Faso, Mali, Mozambique, Bangladesh, and the Philippines) with repeat 24-h recalls to construct 8 candidate food group diversity indicators (FGI) and to calculate the mean probability of adequacy (MPA) for 11 micronutrients. FGI varied in food group disaggregation and in minimum consumption required for a food group to count. There were large gaps between intakes and requirements across a range of micronutrients in each site. All 8 FGI were correlated with MPA in all sites; regression analysis confirmed that associations remained when controlling for energy intake. Assessment of dichotomous indicators through receiver-operating characteristic analysis showed moderate predictive strength for the best choice indicators, which varied by site. Simple FGI hold promise as proxy indicators of micronutrient adequacy.

Background: Dietary diversity is a key element of diet quality, but diets of women of reproductive age (WRA; aged 15–49 y) in resource-poor settings are often deficient in a range of micronutrients. Previous work showed associations between simple food-group diversity indicators (FGIs) and micronutrient adequacy among WRA. For operational and advocacy purposes, however, there is strong demand for a dichotomous indicator reflecting an acceptable level of dietary diversity. Objective: The aim of the study was to develop a dichotomous indicator of dietary diversity in WRA. Methods: We performed a secondary analysis of 9 data sets containing quantitative dietary data from WRA in resource-poor settings (total n = 4166). From the raw dietary data, we calculated an individual “mean probability of adequacy” (MPA) across 11 micronutrients. Several candidate FGIs were constructed. Indicator performance in predicting an MPA >0.60 was assessed within each data set by using receiver-operating characteristic analysis and sensitivity and specificity analysis at various FGI cutoffs. The analysis was performed separately for nonpregnant and nonlactating (NPNL) women and for lactating women. Results: We identified 2 “best candidate” dichotomous indicators on the basis of 9- or 10-point food-group scores (FGI-9 and FGI-10) with a cutoff of ≥5 food groups. Both were significantly correlated to MPA in each site (P < 0.001). Areas under the curve were moderate, ranging from 0.62 to 0.82 among NPNL women and from 0.56 to 0.90 among lactating women. Comparisons of results slightly favored FGI-10 for all women. Conclusions: When resource-intensive dietary methods are not feasible, a simple dichotomous indicator based on a cutoff of ≥5 of 10 defined food groups reflects “minimum dietary diversity for women of reproductive age.” According to the conclusions of a consensus meeting of experts, this indicator is well suited for population-level assessment, advocacy, and possibly also for tracking of change in dietary diversity across time.

Poor quality infant and young child (IYC) diets contribute to chronic under‐nutrition. To design effective IYC nutrition interventions, an understanding of the extent to which realistic food‐based strategies can improve dietary adequacy is required. We collected 24‐h dietary recalls from children 6–23 months of age (n = 401) in two rural agro‐ecological zones of Kenya to assess the nutrient adequacy of their diets. Linear programming analysis (LPA) was used to identify realistic food‐based recommendations (FBRs) and to determine the extent to which they could ensure intake adequacy for 12 nutrients. Mean nutrient densities of the IYC diets were below the desired level for four to nine of the 10 nutrients analysed, depending on the age group. Mean dietary diversity scores ranged from 2.1 ± 1.0 among children 6–8 months old in Kitui County to 3.7 ± 1.1 food groups among children 12–23 months old in Vihiga County. LPA confirmed that dietary adequacy for iron, zinc and calcium will be difficult to ensure using only local foods as consumed. FBRs for breastfed children that promote the daily consumption of cows'/goats' milk (added to porridges), fortified cereals, green leafy vegetables, legumes, and meat, fish or eggs, 3–5 times per week can ensure dietary adequacy for nine and seven of 12 nutrients for children 6–11 and 12–23 months old, respectively. For these rural Kenyan children, even though dietary adequacy could be improved via realistic changes in habitual food consumption practices, alternative interventions are needed to ensure dietary adequacy at the population level.

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Background Few low-burden indicators of diet quality exist, to track trends over time at low cost and with low technical expertise requirements. Objective To develop and validate a suite of low-burden indicators to reflect adherence to global dietary recommendations. Methods Using nationally representative cross-sectional quantitative dietary intake datasets from Brazil and the United States, we tested the association of food group scores with quantitative consumption aligned with 11 global dietary recommendations. We updated the Healthy Diet Indicator (HDI) to include current quantifiable recommendations of the World Health Organization (HDI-2020). We developed three food group-based scores: an overall Global Dietary Recommendations (GDR) Score as an indicator of all 11 recommendations, composed of two sub-components: GDR-Healthy, an indicator of the recommendations on “healthy” foods; and GDR-Limit, an indicator of the recommendations on dietary components to limit. We tested associations between these scores and the HDI-2020, and its respective subcomponents. We developed 9 dichotomous food group-based indicators to reflect adherence to the global recommendations for fruits and vegetables; dietary fiber; free sugars; saturated fat; total fat; legumes; nuts and seeds; whole grains; and processed meats. We conducted receiver-operating characteristic and sensitivity-specificity analyses to determine whether the dichotomous indicators were valid to predict adherence to the recommendations in both countries. Results The GDR Score and its subcomponents were moderately to strongly associated with the HDI-2020 and its respective subcomponents (absolute values of rank correlation coefficients ranged from 0.55 to 0.66). The dichotomous indicators largely met the criteria for predicting 8 of the global dietary recommendations in both countries; the indicator of total fat did not perform satisfactorily. Conclusions Food group consumption data can be used to indicate adherence to quantitative global dietary recommendations at population level. These indicators may be used to track progress of countries and populations toward meeting WHO guidance on healthy diets.